Support from four-time world champion: Oliver Bearman received a message from Sebastian Vettel ahead of his Formula 1 debut in Jeddah
Formula 1 debutant Oliver Bearman has revealed that he received a “good luck” message from none other than Sebastian Vettel ahead of his Ferrari substitute appearance at the 2024 Saudi Grand Prix
The Ferrari junior stepped in for regular driver Carlos Sainz, who had to undergo surgery for appendicitis, and sat in the SF-24 from FP3 onwards. In qualifying, he narrowly missed out on Q3 and finished eleventh. He finished the race in a strong seventh place.
Bearman had already received a number of congratulations and messages of good luck before his race, as he reveals. “My favorite message was from Sebastian Vettel. I’ve been a big fan of his since the early days,” says the Briton.
“Until he retired, I was always cheering Seb on. So to get a message from him was very special. Knowing that he was watching us put a bit of pressure on me, but it was a nice pressure.”
Vettel, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2022, drove for Ferrari himself for five years. He did not reveal exactly what the four-time world champion wrote to Bearman.
Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali also contacted the 18-year-old: “He sent me a really nice message after the race, which I was very happy about. And Lewis also hugged me after the race. That was nice. That was a proud moment for me. “
All the “administration” associated with racing also came as a surprise to him during his first race in Formula 1, he continues.
“I think the thing that surprised me most about a Formula 1 weekend was the amount of administrative work involved – there are so many media activities, so many more technical things than in Formula 2. For a race that starts at 8pm, I was already at the track at midday to prepare.”
“The days are very, very long and full of hard work. It was a surprise, but a happy one,” emphasizes the youngster. In this context, Bearman also praises the accuracy of the Ferrari simulator, which enabled him to quickly adapt to all the processes and settings in the car
